Stay
by snowprince808
Summary: After three years, Hermione returns to the world she once loved. Is everything still the same since she left?


**Stay**

by: snowprince808

DM x HG

6/11/11

For Hermione Granger, it was delightful feeling to be standing in front of a certain familiar building once again. Finally, she's back in the world she once loved and cared for so much.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside and found her self at the lobby of Gringgots. She pulled her bonnet lower to her eyes as she scanned the place, just in case someone who knew her was there. Upon finding no one, she approached the first available teller she saw and submitted her query. He reviewed her documents for a minute then looked at her "Um… Madame, this request of yours is impossible at the moment. You see, there's a 3-day process which is part of our bank rules" he explained.

"But… I traveled several hours just to have this account closed today. I don't have all the time in the world for this. Is there really no way? May I have a word with your manager, instead?" she asked sounding a bit desperate.

The teller led her to an office at the far corner of the lobby and knocked at the door.

"Come in" a deep voice answered, belonging to the manager himself. In just half an hour, she came out with a pouch bag containing every penny from the newly closed account.

"Thank you so much for helping me, sir" she said heartily, shaking the manager's hand.

"You're welcome, Miss Granger" he smiled.

She was already at the exit when she heard the manager's voice once again. 'This one must be a VIP' she thought judging by the warmer greeting the client was receiving. She was smirking to herself until she heard who the lucky client was. "It's nice to see you here Mr. Malfoy" the manager's voice echoed through the whole area. She turned around at once to see if it was the Mafoy she thought he was. True enough, Draco Malfoy was standing at the exact spot where she was a while ago, in a hand shake with the manager. Fearing to be seen, she hurriedly left the pace, almost bumping into an old lady in the process. "Be careful dear" the lady told her as she apologized quickly then crossed the street to enter the café across.

"A cup of forest tea and scones, please" she ordered by the cashier upon entering. Then she sat at the far corner of the counter where there were some stools. She set her bag before her and removed her bonnet. Ruffling her hair a bit, she looked around to see if he had followed her. She was relieved to see that he had not followed her and the unfamiliar faces dinning inside. Her order arrived shortly. She took a sip of her tea at once. The calming effects seeped through her veins instantly. It was a busy hour which explained why a lot of people were getting in and out. The bells hung at the entrance tinkled almost non-stop. She was about to bite into one of her scones when someone pulled a stool beside her. "Black coffee" the man ordered. At first she thought the voice seemed familiar until she heard the waiter's reply "Coming right up, Mr. Malfoy". She froze upon hearing the name. Slowly, she returned her scone and stood up as quietly as she could manage. But by the time she was ready to run out of the shop, he had already recognized her. "Hermione!" he exclaimed, standing up quickly. His eyes wide in a mixture of awe and surprise "You're back…"

She opened her mouth in an attempt to speak but no words came out. Instead, she shook her head frantically, taking a step back away from him. The door opened once again. This time, her eyes grew wide in horror. Harry had just entered, followed by Ron. They placed their orders before they noticed her and Draco at the corner.

"Is that you…Hermione?" the two boys asked in unison, walking towards them. Watching them as they came nearer made her nervous. "I have to go" she mumbled, shutting her eyes.

"No, don't" Draco said, trying to get hold of her right arm. With a loud crack, she disappeared. Only a dark blue bonnet was left which fell to the floor. She had accidentally dropped it.

All three of them stood there, unmoving, surprised at what just happened. Draco's hand was still at the position of gripping her arm, although he was already grasping nothing but air. Her arm had slipped through his fingers when she apparated out of the shop.

Harry bent down to pick up the bonnet and clutched it tightly. "Was that really her?" he asked.

The blonde haired man nodded, regaining his composure. "It was," he confirmed.

Ron faced him "Did she say anything to you? How long has she been here?" he asked eagerly.

"I just saw her here. She was here already before I arrived. She was about to leave by the time I recognized her." He retreated to his chair "she was sitting right here," he recounted. They stared at her order which looked as if it was untouched. "She has changed a lot…physically" he sighed.

"She's so much thinner" Ron agreed "but I can't believe she had kept her hair that short. It's as short as yours Harry" he complained.

"Uh… do you guys know that lady here? She forgot to pay for her order" the waiter told them.

"I'll pay" said Harry, putting down a galleon on the counter.

_*flashback*_

Nearly three years ago when Hermione left without a word:

"She's not here. Some of here things are missing too" Ginny said the one morning. "I can't find her anywhere".

Harry and Ron searched for her all over the castle but there was no sign of her. They even thought of dropping out from school just to find her. Good thing the Headmaster was able to talk them out of it. They strongly felt she was their responsibility after everything that happened to her.

_*End of flashback*_

Hermione apparated out of the café. She opened her eyes she found her self standing right at the door step of her ancestral home. She pushed the door open and marched inside. Dropping all her belongings, she sat at the center of the living room, before the fire place. Tears were falling continuously "I shouldn't have seen them" she sniffed, her lips trembling. She tried to suppress the sound of her crying with her hands but it only got worse "I can't do this now" she told her self firmly "I have to leave this place". Drying her tears with the sleeves of her top, she slowly got up. She searched for her bonnet then realized she lost it. "I probably left it there" she murmured, making a mental note to buy a new one. She looked around for the last time, thinking it might be the last time she could visit that place. She couldn't help but smile seeing that nothing has changed. Everything was exactly as she had left it before. Her gaze stopped at the front door where three silhouettes were visible. She recognized them at once as they stepped inside the house. They were watching her all along.

"This is yours right?" asked Harry, tossing her her bonnet "it's been a while…"

Nodding, she caught it with both hands. Her eyes were focused on them. She was preparing her self to dissapparate but had a hard time focusing. "I…really need to leave" she murmured, turning to go. Before she could leave Harry drew out his hand and in a swift motion… "Petrificus Totalus!" he pointed it at her back.

"Why did you stupefy her?" both Ron and Draco demanded rushing to catch Hermione before falling to the floor.

"There's no other option unless you want her to leave again" he reasoned "She'd be gone by now if I didn't do that" he said walking over to them "Let's tie her to this chair" he instructed grabbing one of the chairs from the dining table.

This idea however earned a violent reaction from Ron "Are you out of your mind?" he yelled "She's not a criminal and most of all she's our friend whom we haven't seen for years!"

"Well we don't have a choice do we? Just be careful, she looks too fragile"

They carefully sat her on the chair and tied her hands at the back. Ron made sure it wasn't too tight for her wrists.

Draco watched them quietly, smirking to his self. "I never thought you'd resort to this" he commented as he stood beside Harry.

He murmured the counter jinx and waited till she was dispelled "Sorry Hermione but I just had to do this"

"What's the meaning of this?" she demanded trying to free her self.

"So that you won't escape" Ron replied shortly.

"Again" Harry added.

"Let me go" she said in a low voice.

"And then what? You'll attempt to escape again?" Draco stepped forward from behind the two "Can't you even talk to us now or to your friends at least?" his tone was sarcastic.

"Let me go" she repeated.

"You have to promise us first. Promise you won't leave immediately… that you'll talk to us" stated Harry.

"Yes. Let's make the Unbreakable Vow" Ron suggested.

"You can't be serious" she blinked, shaking her head.

"We are, Hermione. It has been years you disappeared without a word. Just leaving a note…"

"Fine!" she sighed, resigned at the idea of trying to run away from them. She owed them that at least. "It's not like I have a choice do I?"

The red haired man pulled out his wand and knelt down behind her. He held his hand against hers then used his wand to connect the invisible bond. When they were through, Harry untied her hands and started asking her questions.

_*flashback*_

Mr. and Mrs. Granger were being buried in a cemetery. Hermione watched from the sidelines, crying. She was kneeling on the ground with Harry and Ron by her side. They were trying to console her but their efforts were in vain.

"If only… if only I was there to protect them" she sobbed, starting to hiccup.

"Then they would've killed you too and we'd be in your position now…crying for you" explained Harry.

"Those Death Eaters…Lucius sent them to…to kill mum and dad. They were so defenseless yet they tortured them" she went on "Greyback. He was the one who handled my dad and…and" she couldn't continue anymore.

"You saw everything?" Ron asked, shocked.

She slowly shook her head "I just placed my hand on their forehead to see what happened. It was so…" she couldn't bring her self to describe how gory it was all. A fresh set of tears came and this time she couldn't control it anymore, her whole body was shaking.

A week later, Hogwarts opened again from the summer vacation. Though she was still mourning over her loss, Hermione returned to the school for her final year. No one in the school ever found out the tragedy she had gone through over the vacation except for Dumbledore himself and the members of the Order.

_*_End_ of flashback*_

"Was that your reason for leaving?" Harry wanted to know referring to that tragedy in the past.

"No" she said quietly "It was something else"

"Was it… because of my father, then?" Draco asked uncertainly. He didn't know how to face her after he found out what truly happened to her. In fact, he wasn't expecting she would let him enter her house. It was a surprise she hadn't kicked him out yet.

"Not them either" she said softly, facing him "I believe I've made them pay by making sure that they're Azkaban. I consider that my revenge"

He remained silent as she continued talking. He was watching her intently.

"At first, I really wanted to kill them with my own hands. An eye for an eye, I thought to my self but… I guess I'm not capable of that. So I left in order to forget everything"

"Even us?" Ron asked her.

"No!" she exclaimed "I just… I just didn't want to live in the past. Everything was too painful and I needed time alone" she looked down on her hands which were starting to sweat.

"So what's with the pixie hair cut?" then his eyes widened "Oh blimey, you're not a… are you? A lesbian I mean". The other two snickered upon hearing the question.

"What?" she yelled, standing up instantly "I'm very much straight, Ronald!"

"You sure?" he raised a brow at her.

"Absolutely! I happen to like this hair very much" she said, fluffing her hair "Cute yet manageable"

Turning serious, he stood up and faced the window which showed a good view of the small garden at the front. "Ginny cried for days when you left"

Her gaze shifted to outside the window, where he was standing by. Birds were chirping happily by the bushes. She felt a tinge of guilt inside her.

"This house doesn't look like it had been lived in for a long time" Draco observed "Where were you all along?" he asked out of curiosity.

It took her awhile to answer him. She wasn't sure if she should tell them that kind of information about her self. All of them were watching her, waiting for an answer.

"I…" she swallowed hard "I kept on moving. I never stayed in one place for more than six months" she told them, avoiding their eyes "Now I'm staying in Belgium for three weeks already"

"In other words, you really didn't want us to find you" said Harry, speaking for the first time after half an hour of silence.

"I told you I needed time to myself" she explained exasperatedly "You of all people should understand that"

"Ron and I took you under our responsibility from that moment on. You could've talked to us first. It was…quite selfish of you to make us worry. Don't you think?"

"Selfish?" She repeated, not believing her ears.

"You have no idea how much time we spent looking for you. We were so worried. Heck! We weren't even sure if you were still alive."

"Well I'm sorry… sorry for wasting your time and efforts. You worried over nothing." Her words came out unintentionally snappy.

He was taken aback with her retort. "That's not what I meant Hermione. All I'm saying is…" he was cut off when he heard a ringing sound coming from his, pocket. He pulled out a certain coin and held it against the sunlight then turned to the other two. "Did you receive it too?" he asked them. They gave a nod.

"It says here at Diagon Alley" Said Ron, holding up his own coin.

"Same here" Draco chimed in.

Harry turned to Hermione who was watching them silently, wondering what they're talking about all of a sudden. "You stay here with her, Malfoy" he instructed "We'll take care of it"

"But…"

"You're more needed here" he said firmly then moved closer to whisper something to him "Alright?"

The other guy had no choice but to nod resignedly.

"We're counting on you" said Ron, patting his shoulder then headed out.

"Um…we forgot to tell you, we're now Aurors." Harry faced her "He can explain everything to you. Right now we have to go because we're being summoned. I hope you'll still be here when we comeback. We're leaving him right here"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him irritably "You really don't trust me do you? I'll remain here even if you don't leave anyone to watch over me…"

Both Ron and Harry apparated out of the house before she could finish talking.

"So, you're now an Auror huh? Things surely turned out unexpectedly" she remarked with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. She was mad at the boys for treating her like some detainee.

"Same here. They took me in, surprisingly" he replied with a light smirk.

*_flashback_*

It was already half past 11, way beyond curfew. She unlocked the old potion's classroom and entered recklessly. She was having a hard time walking straight so she held on for support to the chairs and tables she passed by until she reached the very back. Allowing her self to collapse on the floor, she rested her back on the wall. She was holding a liter sized bottle in her left hand. Her face was tear stained. Staring outside the opened window and into the dark skies, she took a swig from her bottle. She had skipped dinner again that night. It had become a regular habit of hers not to eat proper meals ever since that day. Instead, she spent most of her time alone and drinking any alcoholic beverage she could get her hands on.

"What's the mudblood doing here?" Someone asked from the shadows. She was too dizzy to try deciphering who owned the voice. She peered trying to see who it was. The only light in the room was from the moon. "Who's there?" she croaked. No answer came and instead, she saw someone step into the silver light the moon was emitting.

"Why are you here?" she asked, recognizing Draco Malfoy, the son of her parents' murderer.

"I asked you first," he said coldly, his eyes calculating.

"Want some?" she offered holding the bottle to him then laughed to her self. She took another swig.

"Aren't you supposed to be setting a good example to others by not drinking any of those especially inside the school grounds? Here you were just last year preaching everyone about following school rules" he smirked "Where's the nosy prefect that everyone hates for being miss-goody-two-shoes?" he asked, wrinkling his nose at the sight of her wasted self.

She looked up at him and saw him staring right back at her. She just foolishly grinned and motioned him to sit on the floor beside her.

Shaking his head, he gave in and sat beside her. He could smell the strong scent of alcohol she's been drinking.

"Help your self" she said, giving the bottle "Go on… it's not poison," she slurred, seeing the doubtful look on his face.

He took it from her and took a gulp. The drink was bitter sweet; but he felt a strong burning sensation in his throat. "Argh…what's this?" he asked wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

"Just some stuff I mixed up" she replied in a sing song voice.

In just minutes, both were already drunk, taking turns with the bottle. They weren't even conscious of the time or what was happening around them. Not that there was something happening though. But Draco who hadn't even consumed that much had become more wasted than Hermione. No exchange of insults took place between the two that night. They just 'drank the night away'.

She woke up somewhere between 3 to 3:30 in the morning and found her self lying on top of Draco Malfoy. Her head was on his chest while one of his arms circled her waist. They were still fully clothed, to her relief. But both of them were in such a mess. His hair was no longer gelled back and her own curls were sticking out in all directions she could imagine.

*_End of Flashback_*

"About that night… does it still bother you?" he asked her out of the blue.

She gazed up at him not knowing what to say. He brought up the subject she dreaded most. She had no clear memories of that night and she didn't want to try to remember either. After that night, they had an unspoken agreement never to mention it and to treat it as nothing. On her part, she kept that agreement; she hadn't told a soul about it, which why it surprised her that he had the nerve to bring it up.

"We both know nothing happened" he went on, trying to gauge her reaction.

Glaring at him, Hermione didn't say anything.

*_flashback_*

Saturday morning, a couple of hours after they woke up together in the old potions classroom, both had snuck back to their dormitories without a word to each other.

Hermione was walking slowly along the corridors, eyes focused solely on the ground. Her head still ached from all the drinking she had the previous night.

"Watch where you're going mudblood or should I call you boozehound now?" sneered Malfoy.

She lifted her head to look at him. Blaise Zabini was beside him, snickering.

She considered letting that go since her head was throbbing. And she could not careless whatever he called her. After all, he knew nothing about her. Turning away from them, she started walking the other way.

"What's with the attitude?" he said out loud for everyone to hear. "Didn't your parents teach you manners?" he called from behind her.

She swirled around at the mention of her parents, an unfathomable expression in her eyes. "What right do you have to speak about my parents?" she demanded, trying to keep her voice well controlled. "Answer me!" she yelled angrily upon seeing him laugh at her "What right do you have?"

Harry was just passing near by when he heard her voice. He immediately rushed to her side. Her eyes were set on Draco and she was shaking in anger. "Let's just leave, Hermione" he whispered, grabbing her arm "C'mon".

The two Slytherin boys watched them, astonished at Hermione's sudden outrage. "Are you still drunk?" Draco asked, hiding his astonishment quickly.

"Shut it, Malfoy" Harry warned him, attempting to pull Hermione away.

"So what if I still am?" she prompted, yanking her arm away from her friend. "Do you know who did this to me? Do you?" she took a step towards him "No one else but your bastard of a father!" she shrieked, her voice echoing through out the corridor.

"Pardon?" he didn't mind the cursing, though it came as a surprise since it came out from the miss-goody-two-shoes' mouth. What really caught him was her accusation. "Just what exactly are you telling me?" he demanded. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed at her.

"It wasn't clear enough?" her lips trembled in a mixture of anger and sorrow in her heart "I just lost my parents last summer and it was because of the doing of Lucius Malfoy…he murdered them!" she told him through gritted teeth. Tears were falling uncontrollably. He just gaped after them as Harry successfully dragged her away. He could not believe what he just heard. He had no idea it was like that.

Three days later…

Supper had just ended and everyone was on their way back to their common rooms to call it a night. Someone suddenly started yelling "Death Eaters! Death Eaters in the castle!"

It created chaos among everyone at once. Students were running in all directions especially the lower years. The seventh years and the Prefects managed to calm them down and lead them back to their rightful common rooms. Hermione allowed her grudge to overcome her and headed out to confront the intruders. She was under the influence of alcohol at that time so Harry decided to follow her closely. Ron on the other hand, helped lead the students to their common rooms before heading out to join the fight.

The fight ended by dawn. Four members of the Order were killed. The Death Eaters were reduced to half. Lucius lost both of his arms after being caught in between the duel of Hermione and a certain Death Eater. He was accidentally hit by their spells. He was sent to Azkaban along with Greyback and Bellatrix.

The morning after, Hermione was nowhere to be seen and some of her clothes were missing too. No one noticed her leave since they were all busy mending the wounded and tending the traumatized students.

Harry, Ron and Ginny searched for her all over the castle before reporting to the Headmaster. They were informed Hermione left a letter saying only one word: 'SORRY'. They wanted to drop out of school immediately but were convinced not to by Dumbledore. Later that day, they were surprised when Draco approached them, wanting to know the whole story about Hermione. At first they hesitated to tell him anything but his earnestness convinced them. After hearing everything, he had a hard time accepting the truth. He knew he owed Hermione an apology no matter what, even if she does not forgive him and his family. And the only way to do that was help them find her.

*_End of flashback_*

"I already know everything" he stood up, walking over to her "Potter told me everything on that day you disappeared. I had no idea it was like that…" he gazed down at her "It was all my fault. Why the Death Eaters attacked your house on that summer" he paused closing his eyes "I'm sorry…sorry Hermione" his voice cracked.

"What are you saying?" she stared at him in confusion "I don't understand…"

"I was asked to create a commotion on the night of the feast but I refused. I was supposed to help them get in" he recounted. He wanted to forget the awful memory but she deserved to know the reason behind her parents' murder. "They wanted me to kill someone particularly close to Potter. But I couldn't… I've never killed anyone before…. absurd as it may sound to you. I never thought that your parents would be the consequence of my refusal. I didn't think of it because, on our part, you're parents death weren't significant…" he trailed off.

He was already expecting her to go wild and scream at him. Instead, what he got was a tight hug. He was taken aback by her action. The impact caused them to fall back on the sofa behind them.

"It's alright" she whispered "You suffered too…"

"I'm truly sorry" he repeated softly.

"You don't have anything to do with it. They could've killed them too even if you followed them"

He just sighed.

"I appreciate that you told me all these. At least now I know…" she said, releasing him. She looked away feeling shy all of a sudden. "Sorry, I… I got carried away" she mumbled, putting on her bonnet then pulled it as low as she could to cover her eyes. It has become a habit of hers to do so.

"I thought I was going to lose my breath back there," he commented, not tearing his eyes away from her.

"Are you trying to make me feel embarrassed?" she asked blankly and faced him again, one brow arched.

"No" he shook his head innocently "I just apologized didn't I?" he kept his smile to himself.

"You better not be…" she muttered, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I won't" he promised still trying to hide his smile.

"So why did you decide to become an Auror?" she sat up straight, listening to him. She wanted to know his answer.

"Well" he paused, thinking what pushed him to the job "The idea didn't seem so bad. I'm enjoying it already. Ironic, huh?" he looked at her in the eye.

"You can say that" she nodded.

"I've been wondering though… have you tried using gel on your hair?"

This question made her laugh "No way. I wouldn't want to look like you" she joked.

"I still can't keep the guilt off my chest though" he said quietly.

"That wouldn't bring the dead back"

"I know" he sighed and took a look around the house. "It feels so homey around here," he noticed.

"It does" she agreed with a smile "I just really love…" she was about to express how much she loves the house when a knock came at the door. She stood up to get the door but he stopped her. "I'll be the one" he said, heading for the door. Just as he opened the door, Ginny Weasley came rushing inside "Hermione!" she gushed, running towards the other girl. "I missed you a lot" she exclaimed. Then Harry and Ron followed, "It was a false alarm" they explained. "We ran into her on our way back".

"So Hermione, who were you saying you really love?" asked Ron, trying insinuate something "You have a really quiet neighborhood here so we couldn't help but over hear that" he added with a naughty grin.

"It's not WHO, Ron it's what. We were talking about the house" she told him right away "And stop giving me that foolish grin" she glared at him.

"How was it while we were gone?" Harry asked casually "Were you able to talk?" he sat on the sofa, eyeing each of them through his glasses.

"Yeah…we did," they replied, both a bit shy.

"Where have you been all this time?" Ginny asked, joining Harry on the sofa.

"Just here and there. I traveled a lot"

"But what's with the hair and that ring? You're not what I think you are right?"

"Huh?"

All three men stared at her hands immediately. There was a ruby ring on her right hand. They didn't notice it earlier.

"No... No you got it all wrong" she chuckled "It's an heirloom from my mum. It's her engagement ring from my father" she explained. "I've never dated any one," she raised her hand for them to see. "And what's wrong with my hair? I think it's very nice. Look, why don't you just tell me about yourselves instead?"

"Are you staying for good?"

This question silenced her. She looked down again "I don't have such plans yet. In fact, I was supposed to catch my train an hour ago but thanks to everyone in here I have to reschedule it for tomorrow"

"You're still leaving?" Harry asked. Draco's head shot up as Hermione nodded.

"I have my work in Belgium" she told them. Everyone fell silent.

"Can't you just move back here?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"I'll think about it Gin this is quite sudden"

"Why are you here, then?"

"I just had to some business to do here and I…I closed my account at Gringgots" she admitted.

"You were there?" Draco sat up "What time?"

"Right before I came to the café"

"Is there anything wrong?" Harry asked, noticing the look on Draco's face.

"I was there too around that time investigating on a reported case of a mysterious wizard lurking around the bank" he explained, glancing at him "A witness told me has a dark mark on his left arm while another said he was seen removing it. It' odd so I have to look into it further"

"But the records stated that all Death Eaters have been long arrested and Voldemort is history" Ron pointed out "This might be a fake one."

"Well," Harry fixed his glasses, "There is one who escaped but he's a reformed one now and he's in South America."

"So what are you trying to tell me? No one's after me right? Right?" Hermione wanted to know.

"We don't know about that yet," Draco answered. "You just have to be careful"

"This is insane," she snorted "Nothing is left to me. Anyway, I'll be leaving tomorrow… I have to go back."

"Okay but… can you let us see you off?" Ginny said firmly, "Stay at my place tonight."

That night, Hermione stayed at Ginny's pad which was just a couple of blocks away from the train station. She could not sleep the whole night. Her head was filled with good and bad memories from the previous years. Flashbacks kept on coming every minute. The warning Draco had given her regarding the mysterious wizard had been buried at the back of her mind. Ginny was sound asleep beside her.

At exactly 6 in the morning, she set out for the train station without waking Ginny. She placed '_muffliato_' on her so she wouldn't hear her leave. Her train was scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. sharp. Wearing her bonnet as her camouflage, she waited at the station with her bag on her lap. When the train arrived, she boarded it at once. She chose a spot by the window. No signs of any of the four trying to catch up. With a deep sigh, she rested her head by the window. "I hope they'll forgive me for doing this again," she murmured.

On the exact ETD, the train started moving. Only a few passengers were on board. She adjusted her seatbelt as they neared a long tunnel. Soon, it was pitch dark inside the whole train. The little lamps in each of the compartments turned on one by one. But after awhile, the train suddenly stopped. They hadn't even gone through the whole tunnel yet. The passengers were starting to panic. Hermione instinctively removed her seatbelt and stood up to find out what was going on. One by one, the little lamps died which caused more panic. She thought of bringing out her wand to use '_lumos_' but remembered her co-passengers were all muggles. Dismissing the idea completely, she returned to her seat and waited patiently. "They must have a problem with the engine" she mused, drumming her fingers on the window. A minute later, the door of her compartment slid open "May we sit here?" asked a lady's voice worriedly "I'm with my son" she explained.

"Sure" she answered, sensing there was something not right. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Oh no… it's just our first time to travel by our selves. My husband usually accompanies me and now the train stopped I don't know for what reason."

"Don't worry," she said kindly, "I bet it'll be alright in no time". True enough, the lights returned and the train started moving again. "See?" she smiled.

The lady smiled back with a word of thanks. Hermione looked at the boy who was tightly tugging on to his mum's coat. His big blue eyes traveled around the compartment. "What an adorable son you have," she remarked.

"He took after his father," the lady replied.

The door slid open again, this time, a man in a dark grey cloak entered and sat opposite them he was wearing a bowler hat which covered half of his features. The young boy snuggled closer to his mother upon seeing the man. She thought the man seemed weird but simply shrugged it off.

Later on, the man removed his hat and introduced himself as a friend of the lady's husband. Upon seeing his face, the lady froze, trying to hide her fear. The man was insisting that she and her son should come with him. She refused, making all the excuses she could think of. She even attempted to escape by disccreetly opening the door of their compartment. But it turned out to be locked. He pointed his wand at Hermione who was watching in shock, intending to 'stupefy' her. She was able to disarm him quickly. The lady was shocked. She didn't expect Hermione to be a witch as well. Both women forced the door open with all their strength in order to escape while the man was not on his feet yet. "Who is he?" Hermione asked hurriedly "You've got to tell me…" she was gasping for breath.

"I'm not certain but… I think I've seen him before as one of my husband's ex-comrades" she replied shakily.

With a loud bang, the train stopped once again. This time it was the doing of the wizard after them. He also stole the lights from the lamps so the whole train was in total darkness. The only thing they could rely on was their sense of hearing. The passengers stood up and went out of their compartment, wanting to know what happened. The wizard caught up with them and Hermione was forced to throw spells in order to protect her self and the two. But it was no use, her opponent proved to be a strong one. A strong wind suddenly formed, blowing away everything inside. With all the lights of the spells being thrown everywhere, she caught a glimpse of the man's face. To her astonishment, he was already wearing a gold mask… a Death Eater's mask.

By the time they reached the station, the train had already left fifteen minutes ago. Harry kicked one of the posts while Draco threw his cup of coffee on the floor.

"Damn, she left again" Ron yelled in frustration. Ginny was being quiet in a corner.

"Is there anyway we can follow her?" Draco asked with a tone of urgency. "It had been confirmed just 4 in this morning that there is a suspected Death Eater lurking; although there's no report about who he's after."

"We can use our brooms" Harry suggested "We just have to be careful". Everyone agreed to the idea and was ready to leave when they overheard one of the staff saying the train stopped while passing through the tunnel not far ahead. The staff also mentioned that they have lost contact with the train.

"We have to hurry," Ron told them. They left Ginny in the station, in case anything happens. The moment they got on their brooms, all of them took off in full speed. Good thing there was no such thing as speed limit for wizards. From the view above, they could see a 900-meter long tunnel. No signs of any train.

"I think it is inside," Harry said.

They were about to land above the tunnel when there was a loud bang coming from inside. Cracks appeared on the surface which caused them to back out a bit. Whatever reason it was behind that loud sound, they knew they had to get in and see what was happening. Before they could enter, parts of the tunnel began to fall apart. In less than a minute, the whole tunnel was reduced to the ground. Only the train remained standing, unharmed. Screams could be heard inside. They opened the emergency door at the back. People started pouring out at once to the point there was no coordination anymore. None of them could answer when asked what was going on inside. Harry yelled instructions to them on how they should go out properly. Draco entered immediately, yelling for Hermione's name. He was having a hard time pushing through the panicked stricken passengers. "Hermione!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. He was beginning to loose his patience with the passengers standing in his way. Out of nowhere, a green light came straight towards him. He was able to dodge it just in time. "There's a wizard…" he muttered, looking around. He heard a gut wrenching scream from one of the compartments further ahead of him. A lady and a little boy emerged from it, stumbling on their way out. He ran up to them and helped them on their feet. A man wearing a gold mask came out, holding a wand.

"_Impedimenta!_" he heard Hermione's voice loud and clear. A white light threw the man out of the train, breaking through the glass door. He saw her lying on the floor, struggling to get on her feet.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" he aimed his wand at the Death Eater before going to her side. Blood trickled down at the corner of her mouth. Ron and Harry arrived shortly and arrested the man. They left Draco to take care of her and bring her to the hospital.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" he scolded her.

She opened her mouth to speak but eventually fainted.

"That Death Eater was after us," the lady who stumbled admitted. "The young miss just helped us"

Ginny arrived in a broom, "The muggle authorities are coming. Some of the passengers had reached the station and reported what happened. You two better leave now," she warned them. After seeing Hermione's state, she drew out her wand and gave her first aid. She regained consciousness after a minute. "Where is he?" She asked weakly.

"He's been sent to Azkaban" she replied.

"I should bring her to St. Mungo's now," Draco told the red head girl "Can you watch over these two? They have to be interrogated."

She gave a nod and he apparated, carrying Hermione in his arms. When they got there, there were healers waiting for them already. She was brought to the emergency room and got a private room later on. He stayed by her side while he waited for her to wake up and the others to arrive.

"I'm relieved that you weren't seriously injured" he whispered, staring at her face as he held her hand gently. It was just then when he noticed that she was still holding on to her wand in her left hand. He was about to get it from her when she started saying things, "Don't... don't kill them," she groaned. "I can't let this happen again". Her grip on his hand tightened then her eyes slowly opened. She saw him sitting beside her. "The others will be arriving soon" he told her.

"Where's the Death Eater?" she asked.

"Sent to Azkaban," he replied. "The lady and the kid are being taken cared of by Ginny."

She nodded. "He was after them," she said weakly. "I'm not sure yet but she said he use to be a co-worker of her husband."

He gave her hand a squeeze "Just rest for now… you're not strong enough."

"I just have a headache."

The door burst open and Harry came in "How are you?" he asked, standing by the foot of her bed. Before she could answer, the siblings entered too.

"Just a headache" she mumbled "What happened to them?"

"The Death Eater was truly after them. It turns out that he wanted to revenge because her husband was the one I mentioned who already lives in South America. They were supposed to meet at the next station"

There was a look of relief on her face after hearing the whole story. "At that time, I felt I needed to help them. I knew I just can't let that boy be like me. I couldn't…" she looked at each of them in the eye. "I'm sorry," she sniffled, completely affected.

"We wanted to scold you but... at least you're alright now. You're just so stubborn we don't know what to do with you anymore," Ron told her.

A nurse arrived asking for the patients' guardian or relatives.

"I don't have any," she replied, "But they're my friends."

Harry presented to sign for her medical abstract. "It says here you have a broken rib," he said, reading it thoroughly.

"Hopefully you don't break your fingers too with the way you two are holding hands…tsk, tsk" Ron commented, shaking his head.

"Do you want to hold his hands also?" Hermione asked, holding up Draco's hand. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh may I?" joked Ron. He walked up to them and grabbed his hand but Draco yanked it away quickly.

"That's gross, Weasley."

"But these hands are even cleaner than hers!" he complained.

"Let it rest, Ronald." Ginny scolded then grinned at the two who had already released each other's hands.

"I suppose you'll listen to us more now." Harry crossed his arms over his chest and sat on her bedside. "It seems like the ministry will summon you once you're discharged. They will need your testimony"

"Testimony? I won't get in trouble, right?"

"Surely not. The Minister is a fair man" he assured her.

Draco covered his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm not laughing," he lied. "I was just… yawning"

"I don't believe you" she muttered.

"I almost forgot, I bought some breakfast on my way here" Ron said, passing around a brown paper bag containing sausage rolls. Then, he tossed a can of coffee to everyone. In no time, they were laughing as they reminisced on their days back in Hogwarts, when they used to fight all the time.

Hermione and Draco exchanged glances every once in a while. Seeing all the happy faces around her made her feel as if she never left. It's as if she didn't spend three years away from them. There was a feeling of delight bubbling inside her heart. She felt contented after such a long time. She couldn't believe she wasted that much time mulling over her sorrow. But thinking twice, all those years weren't exactly wasted. Her bond with her friends had become stronger. She never expected reconciling with her long time enemy was possible. She had always thought they'd be enemies for the rest of their lives. Deep inside, she knew she would never want to leave again.

A/N: I wrote this back in 2009 but just found it now. I thought I had lost this story already. Anyway, I have always imagined 'what if Emma Watson's hair was a pixie?' So I wrote that Hermione had her hair cut into pixie. True enough, Emma had hers cut last year. Please review!


End file.
